Name: Vanessa Comer.
Died: July 7, 2018.
Age at death: 21.
Cause of death: Dehydration and malnutrition.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Disability: Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1a.
Details:
Vanessa had been born with a disability, and relied on her father–her sole caregiver–for for food, water, and transportation to the doctor. But Vanessa received no medical care for nine months before her death, and she was often left alone by her father for days at a time, ultimately dying of starvation and dehydration shortly after her father finally brought her to the hospital. At her home, the family dogs were were found alive but badly malnourished.
Case Status:
Richard Comer (Father), pleaded guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 9 years; charged with animal cruelty.
Source:
Autopsy: 21-year-old woman who died of malnutrition weighed only 36 pounds, father convicted
Phoenix man pleads guilty to manslaughter in malnutrition death of his 21-year-old daughter
Autopsy: 21-year-old woman weighed just 36 pounds at time of death; father charged
Phoenix man accused of starving 21-year-old daughter to death, police
Dad ‘murdered disabled daughter, 21, by refusing her food or water for 3 months’